facebook?

Today I am facebook-less for the first time in....about 8 years?? Well, my husband and i got on way back when you had to be invited by a college person. So, yeah. been a long time.

On Sunday, Mother's Day, our Pastor, Dr. Jeff Rich, preached on The High Calling of Motherhood (click to listen). But it wasn't just your run-of-the-mill Mother's Day sermon. Nope. It was encouraging, yes. But also, it was challenging and convicting. Not just for the mom's either. I think a few of the men walked away challenged. And the children heard what the Bible calls a mother to be. I walked away remembering why I do what I do, and Who i do it for...God. And i realized that i am not giving my best. I get irritated if i am on facebook and they interrupt me (how dare they!). I get irritated when they ask me a question and i just don't feel like answering. i get irritated when i am folding laundry and they want my attention. i get irritated when they want my attention..........on and on and on and on.........

After church, we had company over. It was a beautiful day. Once things got quiet again in the evening, i had some time to myself (in a corner of the living room). So many things were running through my mind. I realized that i had things that were distracting me from what was really important (being fully present with my husband/children). One of those things was facebook. I have tried in the past to limit my time, not go on for days, etc., yet i always was wondering "what is going on in facebookland?"  With that thought in the back of my mind, was i really free of facebook? NOPE. It STILL distracted me. I long for freedom from this. This is one of the reasons i decided to unplug from social media.

Another reason i have decided to unplug is due to the fact that i am simply walking through some pretty tough stuff since my Dad passed away. I need time and space to process. There have been times that i would have loved to have spent reading the Bible, or other books i have been given (assigned!) to read, but i got distracted by "just checking fb for a minute  few minutes (like 30!)..."

Yet another reason i am unplugging is simply that i want to be so hidden in Christ that I don't get sucked into the comparison game that inevitably happens on facebook (which, by the way, aren't really worth doing!). You know what i am talking about:  the vacations you can't afford, the meals you don't know how to cook, the perfect children, the perfect date night, the perfect friendships, feeling left out of certain things... yadda yadda yadda.  I know that not everyone struggles with these things. I know that some people are as real as real can be there. They are a breath of fresh air!

Not everyone struggles with facebook the way i have over the years. I understand that. I also know that facebook can be a fantastic tool. I am thankful for a sister in Christ that i met through facebook, who lives on the west coast. I would have never met her were it not for fb. And now that i am not on it, we will actually write......letters!!! gasp!  So, yes, i DO know that good things go on and can happen on facebook :).

My goal is to focus on the things that are really important. My relationship with the Lord. My husband. My precious children, which are a gift from God. My friendships. I very well may get on facebook again, but it won't be until i know that my identity, confidence, and hope is in Christ alone, and that NOTHING can distract me from those things.

taking of some masks and gettin' real here. hope some of this made sense!!